Embrace of the Ancients
by EternalSunrise
Summary: Saved by Eric during a Vampire Summit, Annabelle finds herself thrown into his world. Unbeknownst even to her, a deep family secret soon comes to light and everything she thought she knew about herself turns out to be false. Hunted by humans who want to kill her and by the Authority who want to exploit her, Annabelle must fight for her freedom and for the lives of those she loves.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Eric what are you doing?" Bill's deep southern voice hissed through the darkness. He and Eric were taking shelter from the imposing danger. The ancient vampire looked up and found Bill easily through the darkness.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Eric said, his southern accent marred by a slight Nordic intonation. When Bill raised an eyebrow, Eric sighed. "I'm _saving _her! I thought you were supposed to be the good vampire and me the morally grey one?"

"You're going to make her? How on Earth do you intend to go to ground with her when we can't get out of here?" Bill said exasperation heavy in his voice at Eric's penchant for a pretty face.  
"No. I'm not going to turn her. I'm merely giving her my blood so she can heal from her wounds. She wouldn't have been shot if it weren't for us. Besides, if it were Sookie what would you do then?" Eric asked, knowing the mention of both their former lovers would trigger an insanely protective impulse within Bill.

Bill sighed once again. That seemed all he was capable of this night. It had taken such a drastic turn from being a pleasant gathering of vampires and their humans to a bloodbath where both immortal and mortal had perished. Eric and Bill had gone to the party at the request of the One True Vampire Authority as they were trying to uncover a sect of sanguinistas within the state of Tennessee.

It was about an hour into the party when things started to go awry. It had started with a knock at the door and before anyone knew what was happening; explosives were being thrown through the window and the house was being barraged with wooden bullets.

The young woman whom Eric was healing had gotten hit instead of him. She had shoved him as hard as a human could and although Eric didn't fall or move too far, he had moved just enough for the bullet that would have ripped into his heart and turned him into nothing more than a pile of entrails to hit the girl at her neckline. The bullet had missed any fatal areas but she collapsed heavily with an inability to breathe.

Eric and Bill had quickly found each other and as vampire and human alike fell to the floor lifeless, they sped as fast as they could towards the safest area – the basement. Eric had picked the girl up and brought her along as he felt like he owed her a debt.

Eric moaned gently and that snapped Bill out of his reverie and into the present. He shifted positions uncomfortably and listened as the girls heartbeat grew steadier. Eventually, Eric came to crouch near Bill and watch as the woman sat up gingerly and looked about.

"Hello" Bill said quietly so as not to alert anyone to their presence. It was very nearly daybreak so they had had to take shelter in the darkest corner of the basement and hope that no human or whatever had attacked the house thought to come looking for them.

"Hi" The girl replied with the same volume. She had obviously caught on to the situation and was doing her best to help.

"Thank you for saving me." Eric said curtly, he didn't like being indebted to anyone and he especially didn't like the idea of giving his blood to random humans. He was over a thousand years old and that meant that his blood was by far stronger than any in his district. He was almost ten times older than Bill and with his age, his blood carried special properties. It was a privilege and not something he shared lightly. Of course, he had been glad when Sookie had drunk his blood when he had taken several silver bullets at another gathering. Eric almost laughed at the parallels between the two nights, but remembering the situation they were in and thinking of Sookie back in Bon Temps possibly with Alcide stopped him.

"We need a plan." Bill said to Eric. The girl scooted towards them both as quietly as she could and leaned against the wall.  
"It's nearly daylight, see if you can find something to climb into or cover yourselves with so that you can rest during the day. I'll stand watch and keep an eye on the situation here and I promise I won't give away your position."

Eric immediately stood up and began ferreting around the basement for a decent cover but Bill remained still. "I'll try to stay awake during the day. You've been through enough already and if someone does come down here looking for a vampire, you won't be able to defend us adequately. I mean no offense." He added hastily as the girls expression darkened.

"I think you underestimate me. I wouldn't have come to this party if I didn't think I could handle myself and besides, your friend would've been goo if it weren't for me. Oh, and saying no offense doesn't make it any less offensive!" The girl hissed before calming down and adding, "Besides, you're going to need to be at full strength come nightfall. I suspect you've not fed in a while and there's no _way _you're feeding from me. I'll keep you safe. I know that it's novel for a human to be offering a vampire protection, but I promise you, I'll keep you safe."

Eric threw a thick blanket at Bill and nodded towards the girl. "Thank you" he said again before lying down and covering himself fully.

"I should thank you too. I'd be dead without your blood. It's a debt I won't soon forget." The woman said, obviously as uncomfortable with the idea of owing someone as Eric was. "Oh, what are your names?" She added as a second thought.

"Bill" Bill said, suddenly exhausted. The sun was now above the horizon and the weariness hit him like a truck. There was no way he'd be able to stay awake for the whole day and almost in the same thought, he fell into the deep sleep that awaits all vampires during the sunlit hours.

"My name is Eric." Eric said barely above a whisper, he too was feeling the pull of sleep but was able to resist it a little better than his younger friend.

"It's nice to meet you both, my name is Annabelle, but you can call me Annie. Rest now, I'll see you at nightfall." Annie said with a gentle smile etched on her face. She was not looking forward to the idea of spending the entire day in a basement looking after two vampires. It wasn't how she had pictured this night would end at all.

She had anticipated some trouble, maybe a drunken brawl between the humans or a vampire display of dominance but nothing like what had happened.

Annie inhaled deeply and held it there for a few seconds before slowly releasing it. She rummaged around the nearest couple of boxes and found a very old copy of a mystery novel. She sighed before settling down with some of Eric's covering and opened the first page.

She knew the vampires would be dead to the world for the next few hours and she felt herself begin to relax as she tried to lose herself within the text.


	2. Chapter 2

Eric's deep slumber was disturbed by dreams. He dreamt of Pam, his only child. She had travelled the world with him and had been ever-loyal and trustworthy. Eric loved Pam in the way that a father loved his only daughter. He dreamt of their past, their stay in London during the early sixties where they had been drawn to the growing hippy movement, their voyage to Sweden and Pam's amazement at being shown the wonders that the world offered. Most prominently, Eric dreamt of Pam's rebirth.

"_Turn me or watch me die." _Pam had said over a hundred years ago after cutting her wrists in front of Eric. Something within him stirred and he made her. He often dreamt of this memory and he had been grateful everyday that he'd made the right choice. Perhaps Annie's pleading eyes after she had been shot subconsciously reminded him of Pam. The way she had looked at him as her blood flowed from her veins.

Eric woke slowly from his dreams and breathed deeply. The first thing that hit him was blood. He shot up and ripped off his covers, his fangs fully protruded. He was abruptly surprised to see a man tied up, gagged and bloody and Annie sat with her back ramrod straight and all her concentration aimed at the man.

Annie turned her head slightly and nodded at Eric in greeting. "This man came down around midday, figuring that any vamps hiding would be at their most vulnerable. Safe to say, he didn't anticipate me. He was there last night, but ran away when the vamps started to retaliate. I guess he wanted to check out the scene. He's alone." She explained with a ghost of a smile faint on her lips. Eric could see that she had a small bruise by her left temple and he deduced that there had been a scuffle and Annie had come out on top.

Bill sat up and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He took in the scene and rapidly came to the same conclusion as Eric.

"It appears I owe you an apology." Bill said humbly as he saw the arsenal of weapons that had been disarmed from the man. There were silver chains, guns loaded with wooden bullets and a silver core, knives and amusingly, a cross. Bill picked up the wooden item and smirked. "These don't work against us," he said before snapping it easily in his hand.

The man scoffed and narrowed his eyes. Annie knew that he was as good as dead. There was no way two hungry vampires would let a bleeding man who had tried to kill them escape. Annie stood up and stretched her legs.

"I can imagine you both are rather hungry right now…I'll leave you to it." She gestured towards the man whose face paled dramatically. He knew he was doomed. Bill and Eric both stood to let Annie leave and as she walked up the stairs from the basement Eric could feel her conflicting emotions. Part of her wanted to try to save him; she had an innate desire to protect all life. But a stronger part of her knew that Bill and he needed their strength and that if the man were released he would certainly try again to kill them and maybe succeed.

Eric closed his eyes and tried to dim the feelings. He eventually succeeded and made a gesture towards Bill, inviting him to have the first taste. He was, after all, Eric's King.

Around ten minutes later Annie heard footsteps behind her. She turned around in the large kitchen and saw Eric leaning casually against the door frame and Bill stood still but alert. Annie finished the mouthful of food that she had managed to salvage from the mess and waited for someone to make a move.

"We should be getting back now; we have people and businesses to attend to," Bill said with a gentlemanly bob of his head. "Thank you again for helping us today, if we happen to meet again know that it will be as friends."

With that very old-fashioned goodbye Bill ran out of the house in a blur, leaving Annie and Eric. Eric stood and smiled. "We do appreciate your help. If you should need any help in the future, call me." Eric handed her a business card with the address and phone number of Fangtasia on it. "You've had my blood, so we are connected. Come by my bar some time when you are free. Drinks on the house."

And with that, he too sped from the building following Bill back to their territory, leaving Annie slightly stunned and in their wake.

Annie sighed deeply and walked to the door. She looked over the card Eric had given her and tried to suppress a smile. _What an interesting turn of events _she thought to herself pleasantly. She had gone to the small vampire gathering with the intention of overhearing something about her sister. Annie's sister had gone missing a couple of months ago, and Annie knew it was a Sanguinista sympathiser or believer that had abducted her. The movement had been gathering strength and momentum for a while now and Izzy, Annie's younger sister had gotten involved with the wrong crowd.

Annie's family had always had close connections to the supernatural world. Annie had been around vampires for most of her life, as well as werewolves and shifters and every other supernatural creature that the human world still didn't know existed.

Annie found her jacket still hanging on the holder and pulled it on. She was grateful it had survived the onslaught as it was her favourite. A birthday present from Izzy the last time she had been seen. Annie had worn it to remind her of why she was doing it all.

Re-reading the card for the last time, she committed the address to memory. _Shreveport. _Annie took a deep breath and headed out into the night. She was bone-tired from the day's events and she hadn't slept a wink. Turning back to look at the house that was now partially in-ruin, she sighed. The police had never shown up. They didn't want their hands dirtied with such vampire problems. They either didn't care that vampires and 'fang-bangers' had died or they were too frightened to get into a turf war in this once peaceful county.

Annie reached into the hidden pocket of her coat and extracted her car keys and her cell phone. Turning it back on, she quickly checked her messages and when there was nothing important, she sent a brief text to her parents explaining what had happened and that she was following a lead. She left out information about her possible lead being very tall and very blonde.

She threw her phone onto the passenger seat and climbed into her car. Revving the engine, she shut the door and expertly pulled out onto the road. She fought her fatigue as she began her long journey, promising herself that she would pull into the nearest hotel for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The hotel had turned out to be a rather dingy looking motel but Annie was too beyond tired to care. She had been driving for over an hour and it was the first resting place she had seen. She pulled slowly into the car park and relaxed a little when she saw there were a couple of cars already parked. The last thing she wanted was to be the only guest at a creepy motel that would be a perfect setting for a horror movie.

Annie chuckled to herself as she got out the car and fished for her credit card, picturing axe-murderers or maniacs trying to chase her through the motel. She was a tough girl and could take care of herself.

The door to the reception opened with a very audible creak and a little bell above it jangled. A man in his late forties looked up disinterestedly from his novel; his glasses perched on the end of his nose. His eyes brightened just a little when he caught sight of Annie. With long naturally wavy brown hair down to her waist and warm chocolate eyes, accompanied by a cute button nose and full, pouty lips, Annie was attractive.

"Evenin' ma'am," The man said, sitting up straight and putting aside his reading material. "Room for one, or are you expecting…uh…_company_?" he continued, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Annie realised that he was asking if she was here to hook up with someone. Suppressing a smile, she replied, "Room for one please, just for the night."

She saw the middle-aged man's face soften slightly and Annie thought he looked almost relieved that she was staying alone. "We get a lot of people here looking to get away from the cities for some…private time. A lot of people come here to meet, uh, _vampires_," he looked nervously at Annie as he said this.

"Well, don't you worry, I'm as human as they come, and I have no intention of taking up with a vampire," Annie told him reassuringly and she flashed him her most innocent smile. He bought it hook line and sinker and immediately jumped to his feet.

"I'll show you to your room now, if that's okay?" He asked eager to be helpful. "No baggage? Are you just passing through here?" he said trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, I was in Tennessee for business but that's cleared up now, so I'm heading on to Louisiana." She replied feeling happy for some simple company.

The receptionist walked down a corridor before arriving at a room. He placed the key into the slightly rusting hole and twisted it firmly. Begrudgingly, the door unlocked and swung open. Annie peered in and was pleased to see it wasn't as gross as she had been imagining. The décor was simple creams and light browns including bedspreads, curtains and carpets. There was another room leading off the little service kitchen that Annie assumed and hoped would be a bathroom with a shower. She was starting to feel a little ripe.

"Thanks for everything, this room will do great," Annie said, with a tone in her voice that implied she wanted to be left alone now. The man smiled at her and nodded his appreciation but instead of leaving the room, he pushed the door closed and bolted it.

Annie's scalp prickled. Things had just gone from a pleasant shower and long sleep to a potentially deadly situation. "What are you doing?" Annie said her voice full of confidence and authority.

"Like I said," the man replied before turning round. "We get a lot of vampires here!" His open mouth displayed two very sharp fangs and he extended his arms and rushed for Annie.

Annie didn't have time to react before he was upon her. The force of his tackle took them both further into the room and Annie stumbled on her feet and fell to the floor, taking the vampire with him. Her hands clawed at his face as his fangs edged nearer to her neck.

She grunted as she tried to buck him off. The struggle only seemed to entice the vampire more and soon enough she felt the sharp stabbing pain that told her his fangs had penetrated her skin.

"_No!" _She cried out as her hands dug deeper into his face. Her fingers found his eye sockets and without hesitation she gouged his eyes out. The sudden and vicious attack caused the vampire to stop his feeding and pull back. She took the opportunity and managed to shimmy out from under him.

"You won't escape me!" he yelled, holding one hand against his damaged eyes and the other frantically grasping the air in front of him. "I'll have healed in a moment and you my dear will be dead! I must say, you taste a lot better than the motel owner."

_So he's posing as the owner to grab a quick snack! _Annie thought, trying to stem the blood. She knew she had just a few more seconds before the vampire had recovered. She made a dash for the coffee table with the hopes of smashing it and making a stake, unfortunately the vampire had healed and was on her once again.

He was enraged and even hungrier than before. He wasted no time in plunging his fangs into her neck and draining the life from her. The coffee table had smashed in his latest attack and Annie fumbled for a piece of wood long enough to pierce the heart.

She grabbed the first piece she could and lifted it before stabbing the vampire in his back. He was too engrossed in his dinner to notice what was happening and then it was too late. Letting out a strangled cry he began to concave in front of Annie's eyes. Once again she pushed him off just before he exploded, covering her in more blood.

"Fucking fanger" she said with exhausted fury. She dipped her finger into the pool of blood and entrails then wiped it across her neck. She knew her injury would soon heal and no one would know she'd been attacked. Pushing herself off the floor, she felt a little burst of energy. She must've ingested more vampire blood than she had anticipated and that allowed her to move into the bathroom.

Her mind flicked to Eric, who had said that they were connected because she drank his blood. She was angry with him too, she decided, for not coming to help her. Realistically she knew he was too far away to help her but she was still pissed.

Annie climbed into the shower that she had been longing for and methodically washed away the traces of the night. Once she was refreshed and dressed once again she walked past the pile of vampire gunk and left the motel.

She had decided not to stay, but to carry on towards Louisiana. Once more she clambered into the car and started the engine. Turning out of the car park, Annie continued on her journey, more than glad to be leaving the motel behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

As the road wore on and Annie crossed more than a couple of state borders she was finally relieved to be heading into Louisiana. She had lost count of the amount of hours that she had spent travelling but somehow, she had managed to stay awake.

The surge of vampire blood within her system had undoubtedly helped her in this feat, as well as the adrenaline from fighting the imposter vampire. She grimaced when she thought of the encounter. She hadn't had many pleasant experiences recently, she thought glumly to herself. Her sister had been kidnapped and the odds of her being either dead, a vampire or locked away in a human blood factory were very high.

Annie pushed the thought to the back of her mind. For weeks she had been without a plan and without even a hint of a trail but after she had managed to charm her way into a vampire escorting her to a party, she had finally gotten a trail. Well…she hoped she had.

Her mind flicked to Eric, tall, blonde and beyond sexy in a murderous Viking way, and to Bill, who was more cool and reserved but deadly nonetheless. After Eric had saved her by giving her his blood, she had felt a desire to go and see him again. She even daydreamed about him and much to her almost surprise, they were nearly all sexual. Annie knew it was a side effect of ingesting his blood but she had never experienced firsthand.

The sun had once more set and was on the verge of rising again. She sighed deeply as she fought the heaviness that was sweeping over her. Hastily she fiddled about with her stereo trying to find something to keep her mind away from sleep. A bright light swamped her windshield and her head snapped up.

It was too late.

The oncoming car was in the wrong lane and ploughed headfirst into Annie's car. She felt the vehicle flip over several times before grinding loudly to a stop. The windows had all shattered and Annie was covered in glass. She could feel blood trickling down her face and the wind was knocked completely out of her. She gasped as she tried to regain her breathing.

It had taken Annie a few minutes to realise that she was upside-down. She could smell gas and knew that she was in very, very deep trouble. She was definitely not having the best streak of luck.

She tried to undo her seatbelt to release herself but as she moved, a pained sharp moan escaped her lips. Her arm was broken.

"Hello?" She called out hoarsely, hoping that someone was around to help her. No one came. Annie cursed under her breath and tried once again to free herself. She was getting hotter.

A fire had started nearby; Annie assumed it was the other car as she could hear the man calling out in pain. This was the worst possible scenario Annie could ever have imagined. _Oh God _Annie felt the dread wash over her, wave after wave and she did everything in her power to make sure she resisted succumbing to it.

There was only one thing Annie could think to do. _Eric! _She thought furiously, _Eric! Please help me! Please, somebody hear me! ERIC! _

The effort wiped her out and she felt her vision begin to fog.

She must've passed out briefly from the pain because when she came to, she felt a cool hard hand pressed delicately against her forehead. She tried to speak but the hand pressed against her mouth and she heard a 'shush' sound. Annie tried to open her eyes and was surprised by the amount of effort it took. She was bone-tired and world-weary.

Annie passed out once again and was startled when she awoke to a wrist pressed against her mouth. After a second of confusion she parted her lips and willingly let the blood flow in to her. She moaned as the familiar taste of Eric washed into her. She opened her eyes when she felt her wounds healing.

"You have ingested a great deal of my blood recently. It is unwise to drink anymore." The familiar voice told her simply. "I feel like you're getting the better part of this deal."

Annie smiled at the man who had saved her life more than once. Tentatively she inclined her head towards him, offering the dried patches of blood to him in a way that she knew was courteous.

He wrinkled his nose slightly as he sniffed her.

"No offense, but you don't really smell that appetising…" His mind flicked briefly to Sookie whose blood was like nothing in this world.

Annie scoffed and replied tartly, "You're refusing a free meal? You're the first vampire I've ever willingly offered my blood too. If it's not up to your standards then you can starve!" She made to stand up and pulled herself off the ground.

She could hear Eric stifle a laugh and in one swift movement he reached up and grabbed her hand and tugged gently. Annie fell backwards and into Eric's lap.

"How can I resist when you ask so sweetly?" Eric said with a playful smile.

Annie closed her eyes as she rested against his chest and Eric gently began to lick at the dried blood smeared on her face. After a couple of mouthfuls Eric's grip upon Annie tightened.

"Oh my…" Eric moaned before switching into his native language. "You…taste…like…heaven!" he called out before his fangs fully protruded and his hold on Annie became iron-like.

"Eric!" Annie called out, "No biting! Stop!"

Eric growled at her, completely lost within his bloodlust. "I will have you!" he demanded before sinking his fangs into Annie's neck. Annie screamed with pure terror as she realised she would be dead before she had any chance at fighting back.

"Eric, you'll kill me!" she tried to reason. "Eric…"

"ERIC! STOP!" with this powerful exclamation a brilliant light exploded from within Annie. She felt it flood her entire being and charge out of every pore. Even her eyes glowed with a fantastic luminosity that was painful to look at.

Eric was sent hurtling back as the light buffeted him. As soon as it hit his skin he was snapped out of his frenzied attack. The light blast ended as quickly as it had been triggered and when it stopped Annie felt her energy ebb out of her. She crumbled to the floor, once more exhausted. She looked for Eric and saw to her relief that he was sat up with a stunned expression but was otherwise unharmed.

Annie didn't know what to say. She had no idea what just happened or _how _it had happened. It was the first time she had ever experienced something like that.

Eric stood up and shook himself down. He cautiously stepped towards Annie and extended a hand which she took graciously.

Annie fearfully met his eyes and expected to see anger but instead saw only curiosity.

"That was…" Eric was lost for words. "_What are you?"_


	5. Chapter 5

"What _are _you?" Eric asked again, stepping closer and closer to Annie.

"I…I…" Annie stammered, still stunned from what had just happened. "I'm…just a small town girl…living in a lonely world?" Annie said trying to ease the tension that she felt. Eric raised an eyebrow quizzically but continued walking to her until he was within her personal space.

Eric's eyes fluttered shut and he took a very deep breath of Annie's hair. "I can barely smell it now…interesting. Really, you don't smell like anything supernatural I know, not a fairy for sure…"

"Fairies exist?" Annie asked in disbelief. Eric made a throated noise which Annie took for a yes and continued sniffing her. She was taken by surprise because she had thought that she knew most if not all of the supernatural creatures that existed in this world. She wondered why she had never heard of Fairies being real before. Before she could lose herself in her inner-babbling, Eric interrupted.

"No one has ever tasted you before?" Eric asked her, looking square into her face. Annie shook her head in response and Eric seemed to mull this over. "We should go to Fangtasia…there isn't much time before sunrise. Since your car is totaled and we're still quite far away, would you object to me carrying you? I dislike being this far from my territory this close to sunup."

Annie obligingly climbed onto his back and they were off. Annie could feel Eric's exhilaration but she personally felt a little ill. She had to close her eyes tight and press her head against his back. Blurring through what Annie assumed was a wood or forest of some kind her grip tightened around Eric. She was grateful that he didn't need oxygen to survive as she was pretty sure she had him a death grip because she was so nervous. They only seemed to be running for a few minutes when they stopped suddenly. Annie peeked out and saw that she was being carried to a back entrance of a nightclub.

She could hear the pulsing music as they got closer and her curiosity was piqued. She had never been to a vampire bar before though she had heard many stories, and although it was something that her hunter family had completely forbidden, she had always secretly wanted to experience it. Annie made to climb down from Eric but to her surprise he made no move to let her go. She stayed on his back like a baby monkey clinging to its parent until Eric had woven through the corridors in the club and into an office nestled far away from the public.

Once Annie had her feet planted firmly on the ground she let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding in and she shook her limbs free of the tension she had gathered while hanging on to Eric for dear life. She didn't actually think that he would let her fall off or get hurt, but seeing as she had only just met him, she wasn't sure if her trust was misplaced. She took a seat in a garish red leather upholstered chair that she sunk into but also remained perfectly supported and waited for Eric to tell her what she was doing here.

Eric closed his eyes and muttered something that sounded like 'Pam' or 'Ham'. Annie noticed a slight vibration in the air around him as he did this, it was so subtle that she wasn't sure that she hadn't imagined it. Within seconds the door to the office flung open and an extremely elegant woman walked in with a detached look on her face.

"I wondered where you had run off too." The woman said, with a very deep and slow drawl. Annie took an immediate liking to the both visually and physically powerful woman; she was a vampire for sure. Annie understood immediately that this was Eric's progeny and that he had summoned her to him

"Pam, this is Annie. We met at the Vampire Summit in Tennessee where she ingested some of my blood…" Eric began relaying the whole story to Pam who stood there with her arms crossed and a vaguely disinterested look upon her face. Every now and then her stunningly decorated eyes would flick to Annie and Annie would shrink a little in the chair.

It wasn't until Eric got to the part of the story where he had been driven wild by tasting Annie's blood and she had stopped him by exploding with light that Pam's expression changed from almost boredom to actual interest. Pam raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to Annie.

Her fangs had extended during the story and Annie knew that Pam was curious about the taste of Annie's blood. Pam also sniffed her intently, just as Eric had done earlier, and her nose wrinkled slightly. "Doesn't smell that good," Pam said succinctly, not caring to see if she had offended Annie.

Eric took hold of Annie's hand and raised it to his mouth. Annie had no idea what was happening but she thought it best not to struggle. Without words Eric gently stabbed his fang into her finger causing Annie to flinch. The blood trickled slowly down her finger and Eric expertly guided it towards Pam's mouth. Annie frowned as she felt this was a total disregard for what she wanted to do, but she already knew that Eric was the type of man who did things his way and that was that.

A couple of drops slipped into Pam's mouth and her eyes closed tight with pleasure. When she opened them she had an entirely different aura about her. She growled and lunged for Annie having seemingly forgotten that Eric was in the room.

In one swift movement, Eric had grabbed Pam's hand and restrained her. She fought and thrashed to get to Annie until Eric's voice boomed, "As your maker, I command you! You will not attack and feed from this girl!"

Pam hissed as the command took control of her and slowly she stopped resisting. She took several ragged breaths to regain her composure.

"What…the _fuck_…are you?" Pam said with barely disguised anger and desire.

"I…don't know..." Annie said on the verge of tears. It had been an extremely stressful couple of days and Annie just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Pam, I have a request." Eric said gaining the attention back. "I would like you to feed Annie your blood, you can refuse if you wish, but I hope that you won't. I want to know that Annie is protected until we can figure out what she is and why she is here."

Pam looked to be thinking this over when Annie sighed deeply. The fact that they were talking about her and deciding things for her was slowly fuelling Annie's anger.

"I can tell you why I'm here! I'm not an alien or anything! I'm looking for my little sister, she was kidnapped by a group of vampires and I think taken into a Sanguinista base or something; that's why I was at the vampire meeting and that's why I was on my way here, to Shreveport. I figured that I had a better chance of getting some answers if I was near you because you were also at the meeting, and that you might have information or contacts that could be useful to me!"

Annie rambled on looking at her hands in her laps because she was too afraid that she would cry if she looked at Eric, until Pam interrupted. As quick as a flash Pam had made an incision with her fangs on her wrist and offered it to Annie. "Here," she said abruptly.

Annie looked awkwardly between the bleeding wrist, Pam's face and Eric. She felt like she had no choice in the matter. Everything had spiralled out of control so quickly. "Do it quickly before it heals, little girl. I don't give my blood to just anyone."

Annie thought about it for less than a minute. She knew that the situation she now found herself in was something entirely different than what she had pictured just a week ago. She made the decision then and there that she would be strong and that she would do whatever it took if that led her one step closer to finding her sister. Steeling her resolve, Annie took Pam's wrist and pressed it against her mouth, slowly ingesting some of her blood.

Once it had been done and Annie had wiped her mouth, she stood from her chair. "I'm tired," was all she said as she made to leave the room. Eric was at the door before Annie had the chance to blink. "You can't keep me here!" Annie cried out feeling like a trapped rat in a maze.

"Where would you go? Let us house you and you can use our resources to look for your sister. You can even work at the bar so you pay your keep, if you have an issue just receiving money. In return, I want you to be _mine_, so no other vampire can harm you or feed from you. My name alone is enough to deter even the most determined vampire, and that would offer you a lot of protection for when I am not with you." Eric said with a stony face. It was clear that it wasn't everyday he extended a helping hand.

Annie shifted uncomfortably and thought over her options. It was true that she had nowhere to go and she didn't know anyone. She didn't like the idea of being Eric's because it made her feel like an object, but she didn't like the thought of other vampires finding out how she tasted and then feeding on her even more. The run-in with the vampire at the motel floated through her mind and Annie supressed a shudder. All of the training she had endured during her childhood had left her in that moment as she was taken completely off guard. She briefly wondered whether or not if she had thought she was going to die, like she had when Eric had bitten her, if that light would have saved her again.

"Fine!" Annie finally said, determined not to look at Eric's smug face. She knew it was the better option to have as much protection as possible. "But I have conditions. I will work at the bar, but I also expect a wage."

Eric nodded his acquiescence to her first demand.

"Secondly, I will declare myself as Eric's _but _he may not feed on me at will and there will be no sex involved!"

Eric hummed and thought it over. "I will agree, but I think eventually you will want to sleep with me."

Annie rolled her eyes and continued, "Third, and finally, I don't want to live with a vampire or here at the bar."

"You are not staying alone." Eric said in a tone that implied there was to be no arguing. "I have a friend you can stay with, she's human…mostly and really quite nice. I'll call in a favour and I'm sure she'd oblige."

"Okay…what's her name?"

"Sookie Stackhouse."


	6. Chapter 6

Sookie Stackhouse had had a very tiring day. She had worked a double shift at Merlotte's Bar and Grill because Arlene had called in sick, there had also been a game on the big TV that Sam had recently installed meaning that the patrons of the bar could come and watch and also have a few drinks.

As soon as Sookie had arrived at her job she knew the night ahead was going to be a tough one. People were always rowdy when a big game was on and she knew from experience that a lot of alcohol and supporting a losing team didn't mix well together. By the time the second fight had broken out, she felt like screaming.

It was bad enough that she had to listen to all the verbalised shouting; it was even worse hearing what the people were saying in their heads. As she began the long drive back to her old family house just off Hummingbird Road she couldn't help but replay some of the things people had been thinking.

She was shocked and a little hurt to discover through Holly's mind that Arlene wasn't really sick. She'd had a big date that she was looking forward to and didn't want to jinx it by telling everyone, given her dating history. Plus, although Sam had always been a kind and reasonable boss, Arlene had been pretty sure he would be pissed that she was taking the night off for such trivial reasons.

Sookie was also trying very hard to quash the images that had been pounding her brain all night that Jane Bodehouse - the Merlotte's resident alcoholic - had been broadcasting. It involved her and pretty much every other male in the bar and some women in various sexcapades, some of the things Sookie had seen, she couldn't even name. She shuddered involuntarily repressing the thoughts.

She was extremely eager to throw herself in the shower and wash all of the nights stress away and then climb straight into bed and hopefully sleep straight through until after Midday tomorrow. She had the day off and things had been quiet on the vampire front since the end of the Witch War as the Supes were now calling it.

She hadn't seen or heard from Eric in a couple of weeks. _Eric..._ Sookie's mind flitted briefly to their passionate time together and how sweet and loving he'd been when he hadn't known who he was. Sookie figured that he was still sulking from the time she'd rescinded both Eric's and Bill's invitations to her house and told them in no uncertain terms that she was breaking up with them.

She sighed. Things had been a lot less complicated before she'd met Bill in the bar, but they'd also been extremely dull too. Sookie had been too preoccupied with all the thoughts about how her life had turned out that she didn't even notice the young woman sitting on her porch and leaning against a wooden pillar that adorned the house. She had wavy brown hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail with strands falling down her face. She was wearing comfortable clothes, an oversized t-shirt and shorts with converse. Across her lap but clenched tightly in the girls hands lay a leather jacket.

Sookie thought that she looked like she was asleep but the car engine must've stirred her because she lazily opened her eyes and tried to sit up straight, blinking the tiredness from her eyes. Sookie had never seen her before and instinctively she sent out her extra sense to see what she could pick up.

_Nothing._

Sookie was startled and a little panicked. This had never happened before. She could read human minds as clear as day, depending on how close she was, she could read Shifter and Were minds with a little more difficultly and their thought and brain patterns were always tinged with red. Even Vampires left a trace, though she couldn't read their thoughts, they left an almost negative impression so she could tell they were vampires. Not once had she ever encountered someone who just didn't register at all. It was like the girl didn't really exist.

Sookie laughed nervously to herself and climbed out of the car. The sun was just rising so there was no chance for a vampire rescue if the girl turned out to be dangerous. Taking an uncertain step forwards Sookie gathered some fairy magic in her hand so she could use it if the situation got out of hand.

"'Scuse me, can I help you?" Sookie said, her naturally polite disposition winning out over the desire to demand information. Before Bill had entered her life, Sookie had been naïve and thought the best of everyone, but she had seen so much since then, been through so much since then, that she seemed to almost always be on the lookout for danger thesedays.

The girl smiled uneasily, taking the time to take in Sookie's approaching shape. "Hello," she said, standing up and brushing herself down. "My name is Annie; uhm...Eric Northman sent me here. He would've come too but he had business at Fangtasia… and it's the middle of the afternoon. Here," Annie handed Sookie an envelope which was received tentatively. Inside there was a letter from Eric explaining briefly that Annie needed a place to stay, and a little detail about the situation in which she now found herself. The letter also said that Eric would come to Sookie's home at nightfall to explain properly.

Sookie looked up again at Annie. All she saw was a tired looking young woman who's brain didn't register on Sookie's radar. She ferreted around in the envelope and finally saw that Eric had also supplied a cheque. The figure was huge! Reading the rest of the letter Sookie discovered that the cheque was for any supplies and clothes that Annie might need as well as a pretty compensation fee for Sookie herself.

"So..." Sookie began but cut herself off. She didn't know where to begin. On one hand she was furious that once again she had been caught blindsided by her fanged acquaintances, she was also too tired to really think everything through. The other side of her was more curious and eventually she said, "You can stay the night here, just until Eric comes to sort all this out. I warn you now though, any funny business and you'll be on the receiving end of a fairy light blast, _and it's not as pleasant as it sounds."_

Annie opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, stumped as to what to say. She followed Sookie into the old family house and through the kitchen, when Sookie stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at her again, all Annie could think to say was, "Eric mentioned that you were 'kind of human'…So, you're a fairy? Neat."

_Neat?! _Annie cringed internally. Of all the words to use, she had to pick the lamest.

"Yes, I'm a fairy, and Eric shouldn't be spilling my business to everyone he meets." Sookie said simply, not willing to go into the whole part-fae part-human issue right at this moment. "I'm also telepathic..."

Annie's face blanched. "You can hear my _thoughts_?" Annie asked after a moment of disbelief, "Now that, is fucking cool!"

Sookie smiled slightly, it had been a while since she'd met anyone who didn't know what she could do, and most of those people either thought she was crazy or were afraid of her. _"_There's just one slight problem," Sookie said slowly, "I can't hear your thoughts...why is that?"

Annie took a deep breath and released it very slowly, she was suddenly depressed. She shrugged half-heartedly and then sunk down onto the first step.

"It must be because I'm a..._freak." _Annie said bitterly, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her arms round them. Sookie felt a tug on her heart, it wasn't long ago that she had felt like a freak, and that was the worst feeling anyone could have. She sat down next to the young girl and nudged her playfully.

"You're not a freak, but you don't seem to be anything other than human either. I can tell Vamps and Weres and Shifters apart from regular folk and to me you seem, well _normal - e_xcept for the silence, of course. Wanna tell me what's going on?"

And with that cue, Annie began retelling the whole story right from when she had first met Eric, to Sookie who sat and listened with interest.


	7. Chapter 7

Sookie sat there in a stunned silence as she tried to digest everything she had just heard. Annie sat beside her, willing her to talk and say something. Annie hadn't known Sookie for more than a couple of hours but she did know that Sookie was the kind of person to let a stranger in her home without much grievance. That spoke louder than words to Annie. She was a good person, through and through.

As Annie sat contemplating Sookie's character, Sookie had finally wrapped her head around some of what she had been told.

"So, you just exploded with light?" Sookie asked, breaking the long and slightly uncomfortable silence. Annie swallowed awkwardly, of course she had expected some questions, though in truth what she wanted most of all was to get into a bed and cry into her pillow like she always did when things got too on top of her. She was beyond frazzled and desperately needed time alone to recharge.

"That's pretty much what happened. One minute Eric was uh, licking my face…the next minute he was biting me and then I blasted him on his ass."

Sookie let out an unexpected giggle at that, and Annie was surprised with how light and girly the sound was. Annie herself wasn't much of a giggler, and she hadn't had much reason to smile, not since her sister went missing.

"I would have _loved _to see that!" Sookie said with a big grin on her face. "Eric Northman landing on his ass!" She laughed again and it was a minute or so before she had composed herself. "I apologise for laughing so much, but Eric is always so in control and that must've really shocked him, hah!"

Annie shook of the apology, she guessed it was pretty funny, but she was too invested in what it could mean so the humour was lost on her.

"Did it look anything like this?" Sookie asked before gathering her Light in her hands. She expertly danced it across her palms and wrapped it around her fingers. After discovering her true heritage Sookie had put a lot of time and effort into gaining control over her newfound powers. Annie's eyes widened and she reached forwards to touch it. She felt warmth enter the tips of her fingers and when she pulled away, they were tingling slightly.

"No, yours looks pinker than mine was. I couldn't say for sure because I was so surprised I didn't really have time to look at it properly, but I'd say mine was white. Does that mean I'm not a fairy?" Annie asked, wondering what her parents would say if she was actually a fairy.

"No, I don't think so. But you're obviously something…more than human. If you were a fairy, we'd be able to speak telepathically, and you'd smell irresistible to vampires. Wait a second…" Sookie paused as if she'd just remembered the most important part of Annie's story, "You said that you agreed to _all _of Eric's demands? You're going to be _his? _Do you have any idea what that entails?!" Sookie said as reality smacked her in the face. She suppressed a little pang of jealousy – after all, it was Sookie who had technically broken up with Eric – and waited for Annie's reply.

"Well…I was thinking that I'm new in town and don't know anyone, vampires apparently find my blood more irresistible than fairy blood, and I also figured that Eric is pretty much the oldest and most powerful vampire I've ever heard of, so having his protection can't be too bad! It'll stop all the vamps from trying to eat me if they ever figure out how nice my blood is."

"I guess you're right." Sookie said simply. It had been a very long day for them both and she knew they both needed rest. "You can take the upstairs bedroom, on the left. It used to be mine, but I moved into the bigger one when...when my Gran died." Even saying it still made Sookie's heart hurt. She had come to terms with the fact that pretty much all of her family had died and that it was just her and Jason left, but she still felt the loss every day.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I know what it's like to lose family." Annie replied and that was all that was needed. In that moment they were united in their grief.

"I think we should get some sleep now, Eric will be arriving at nightfall, so we've got a couple of hours to try and catch some Z's. Goodnight Annie."

"Thank you, Sookie, for everything." Annie replied as they both climbed the stairs and fell into bed. Annie was asleep before she had taken her shoes off.

Eric arrived promptly five minutes after nightfall. Sookie and Annie had just finished dinner and they sat in now companionable silence trying to adjust to the time and date. Annie had always hated taking naps in the day because she always woke up dazed and confused as to what day it was.

Sookie had decided to be the bigger person and had invited both Eric and Bill back into her house a couple of days ago. She knew that although she was stronger than she'd ever been before, it was still comforting to know that they would come to help her if she ever needed it. Eric had wasted no time at the threshold of the house, he simply entered and made his way to the kitchen where the two women were waiting.

Sookie stole a glance at Annie's face as Eric took his seat. She knew they had exchanged blood so she was curious as to how that bond was affecting Annie but it didn't seem to even register on her face. Sookie admired Annie's poker face and felt a growing respect for her, knowing that when it was her who had drank from Eric, she'd had trouble concentrating at all around him because all she could think of was tearing his clothes of and making love to him.

They had decided before Eric arrived to present a united front. Sookie definitely wanted some answers and she was pretty sure that Annie did too. Eric had greeted them both with a kiss on each cheek, though he lingered a little longer than a human would, inhaling the smell of them both.

"I don't know if I mentioned this yesterday, but now that I have tasted your blood, you smell divine, Annie. Beforehand I wouldn't say you stood out at all, but now your scent rivals the fair Sookie's. Sookie still smells more appetising to me, but that is because we have been intimate. I wonder what you would smell like if you allowed me to lie with you." Eric said, unaware of the effect he was having on both of the women.

Annie's mouth fell open with an audible pop at the revelation that Eric and Sookie had been lovers at one point. She looked at Sookie with a question mark on her face but could tell that Sookie was trying hard to suppress her anger so she let it slide for the time being.

"Have you found anything useful out, Eric, or are you here just to vocalise your inane theories?" Sookie asked tartly. A brief look of pride flashed across her face and Annie assumed that it was because she had used the word inane and that was the Word of the Day on a calendar in Sookie's kitchen.

"Regarding Annie's mysterious supernatural abilities, I have a highly trusted acquaintance looking into Annie's heritage as we speak. I'm sure that will turn up some results."

"So, you've turned into Bill?" Sookie said acidly, her eyes turning into slants as she stared Eric down. Annie wondered if the Bill they were talking about was the same Bill she had met in Tennessee at the vampire meeting. She didn't have time to question this though as she saw that he was clearly a sensitive subject judging by both of their reactions. Eric's fangs popped out and he hissed slightly as Sookie straightened her back preparing for a fight.

Annie looked at them both, careful not to attract any attention and not wanting to come in the middle of their spat. Eventually Annie's curiosity got the better of her and she grew bored of the stand-off.

"Who's Bill? Bill Compton, the short guy that was with you at the gathering?" She asked, knowing that it would break the tension, and she was right. They both looked at her and Eric opened his mouth to explain but before he could get a syllable out, Sookie's front door flew off its hinges and Bill came fluidly through the entrance, his teeth bared.

In no time he was upon Annie and his hands gripped her throat before he twisted and snapped Annie's neck.

She fell to the floor lifeless.


	8. Chapter 8

Annie's head smacked the hard wooden floor and bounced off but she was completely lifeless long before she hit the ground. Sookie screamed with shock and raced to the body.

"MURDERER!" Sookie screamed at him, she could feel her power building rapidly within her but before she had time to blast him, Eric charged at Bill and threw him across the room. Bill slammed against a door frame, shattering the wood and sending fragments everywhere.

Eric was on him once more, this time armed with a wooden dagger he had picked up from the chunks of wood on the floor. Bill did not retaliate but instead said a simple phrase before Eric had the time to plunge the wood into his heart and it halted him in his tracks.

"_I am your King." _

Eric immediately stopped trying to kill Bill and let out a furious growl. Sookie knew that he'd need to find a release of some sort, and that probably meant someone innocent would suffer. She also knew that Bill's rank wouldn't be enough to save him, there were vampire legal proceedings that took place when one vampire wronged another.

"How _could _you?" Sookie implored Bill, desperately seeking some answer in his eyes. "She was just a kid…" She said no louder than a whisper, tears began to fill her eyes as the grief from losing someone she hardly knew set in.

"You still have no idea what she is?" Bill asked Eric incredulously. Eric merely glared at Bill, a look of furious hatred in his eyes. Bill and Eric had their ups and downs over the many years they had known each other but this was another matter.

"She. Was. Mine." Eric said through gritted teeth. After all the times Bill had defended and protected Sookie from Eric because she was his, Bill should've known better.

"Did she…did she die with your blood in her system?" Sookie asked tentatively, knowing that if she had, she would need to be buried quickly and there would be one more Undead in Bon Temps.

Eric shook his head sadly. "She's dead." He wasn't sure what bothered him more, the fact that he was sad at this girls passing, or the fact that he would never get to sleep with her or taste her again, or that she would never know the truth behind her identity.

As if on cue, a desperate cough racked the supposedly dead Annie. Her eyes flung open as her mouth tried to suck in enough oxygen to feed her deprived body. Sookie had scuttled backwards with shock and Bill and Eric had leapt in front of her in a defensive stance.

Annie looked at them all, absolute terror evident in her eyes. She pushed herself up and tried to climb her feet, only to fall to her knees. Tears flooded her eyes and poured unashamed down her face. Her hands rubbed her neck gently as she looked up at Bill.

"You killed me." She said quietly, immediately understanding the situation. Bill straightened from his crouch, shock still obvious on his face. He nodded slightly.

"_You KILLED me!" _She yelled at him, fury built rapidly within her and before she knew what was happening she flung out her hand and a painfully beautiful white light exploded from her palm and hit Bill square in the chest, sending him hurtling through the house and through the kitchen window.

Annie quickly collapsed into a blissful unconsciousness.

When Annie awoke she was on the sofa covered in a light pink quilted blanket and a damp cloth placed on her forehead. There was a distinct chill in the room and Annie sat up to investigate. There was no one in the sitting room with her, but she could hear voices from the kitchen.

She stood up slowly and tested her balance. Walking as quietly as possible she headed towards the kitchen and stepped over the rubble that was once the kitchen door. Sookie's downstairs was almost completely trashed. She entered the kitchen and saw a gaping hole where the window once was.

"What happened?" She asked, turning all the attention on to herself. She actually remembered what had happened but she thought playing the fool would go in her favour after attacking the Vampire King of Louisiana and destroying a fairy's house.

Sookie smiled gently at her and ignored the question, instead she asked her own. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

The kindness took Annie by surprise. "I'm okay, a little faint, and really hungry. Also, I'm really sorry about your house Sookie. I have no idea how that happened." She turned to Bill who looked like he was still nursing some injuries, "Bill, I'd apologise but I figured that you killed me, so we're even…kind of."

Bill smiled at the comment and replied, "That sounds fair to me, I apologise for killing you, though I was following a hunch. I assumed that you wouldn't stay dead for long, but there was no way to test it without, you know, killing you…"

Bill extended his hand and Annie took it somewhat begrudgingly. Sookie let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and relaxed a little in her chair. Annie looked for a chair for her to sit on but the fourth was in ruin.

Annie felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over her. Eric saw what she was doing and stood up, offering his chair to her. She took it gladly, a little impressed with his chivalry.

"Annie," Eric said softly, as if her were about to tell her that her cat had died. She looked at him with anxiety and worry bubbling within her. She had no idea what to expect from him, or anyone for that matter. She had expected to get yelled at and to be told to clean the house up, which she had intended to do anyway.

"My acquaintance that was looking into you was captured and executed. He found out something about you that was very precious information and like a coward he went to the highest bidder, which was not me. He betrayed your lineage to the Vampire Authority and they are very, _very, _curious to meet you. After learning the information, they killed him so that no one else would find out and they can have you all to themselves. They have no idea that Bill already knew the information and he's passed it on to us. They'll be on their way to Bon Temps as we speak."

Annie listened to Eric talk and tried hard to take it all in. She had definitely not had any luck recently. She was terrified but also calm. It was a strange state of non-being that she attributed to not fully regaining her equilibrium from her untimely and unsuccessful death.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at everyone around the table. She could see now that there was also sympathy within Sookie's eyes. Sookie herself had been hunted for her Fae blood so she knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of some truly awful news. Now that the Vampire Authority had set their sights on Annie, her life would never be the same.

"_What is it?" _Annie asked again, this time with more determination. She just wanted someone to rip the band-aid off and get it over with.

They all looked at each other and Eric took a step forwards, he knelt by Annie and took her hands in his, looking imploringly into her eyes.

"Annie…" He began but stopped. He took a deep breath and searched her eyes for any sign that she knew what he was about to say. He saw nothing so he steeled himself to continue.

"You're an Angel, Annie."


	9. Chapter 9

"What..?" Annie asked dumbly, she had heard the words but they felt too ludicrous to be real. She could feel everyone's eyes boring into her skull and she knew she had to face this. The last thing she wanted was a more complicated life, she had enough on her plate to deal with already, especially with trying to find her sister. So much time had been wasted already and she wasn't getting any closer to the solution.

"Look, I don't care." Annie said after a lapse into silence. "I don't care if I'm a leprechaun, an Angel or the Loch Ness Monster, I really don't. It's not important to me. I don't care about the Vampire Authority thinking they have some claim on me, the only thing I do care about is finding my sister!" She ended her speech as her voice cracked on the last word.

"Annie…" Eric implored, "You don't know what you're up against. There's no way the Authority will just let you go, even the fact that you have proclaimed yourself mine might have no effect."

Annie just huffed as a response. Truthfully she knew she was in a very tricky situation. She desperately wanted answers for what she had just found out, but it seemed like there was always something more pressing.

"Wait a second, if the Authority knows that Annie is an Angel, does that mean that they'll know if her sister is? I mean… is she? Is it hereditary? Are Annie's parents Angels?" Sookie asked, not directing the questions at anyone in particular but voicing them nonetheless.

Once again all eyes turned to Annie. "How the hell should I know?!" Annie cried out and the ground shook a little. "What's wrong with me?" Annie asked, all pretence of being tough erased from her voice and in its place was a young, frightened little girl whose world had just been turned upside down.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Sookie said sympathetically, walking over to the girl and embracing her the way her Gran used to when she'd cry about being different. "You're special, and special doesn't mean bad."

When they pulled apart a faint light lingered between them, seemingly pulsating between their bodies. Sookie just smiled, after a couple of years of dealing with the fact that she was part Fairy, she was used to strange lights and high running emotions. The light was beautiful and Annie could feel it washing over her and calming her ragged nerves.

"From what I've read, Angels are the highest of the light-bearing beings. They are from the same…_category_…as Fae, though Fae are further down the bottom. It's said that a full blooded Fairy, should they so choose to walk the path of pure light can one day ascend and become an Angel, though I don't know if that's true." Bill added, the information wasn't exactly helpful but it was better than nothing.

"So… if I'm from the same tree as Fairies, how come they smell irresistible to vamps and I smell like left-over meat loaf?" Annie asked; her curiosity suddenly piqued.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that it's a defence mechanism. Angel blood is much more potent than Fairy blood, no offence Sookie, and Angels are much rarer than Fairies too. I've never even heard of a human-born Angel. I wonder which parent gave you the gene." Eric mused.

Annie herself had been wondering how she had inherited this magical gene, all her memories of her family had been normal. They had been raised in a vampire hunting family and she had known of their existence years before they came out of the coffin and hunting almost became an extinct practice. There was too much politics involved nowadays, her father had always said.

_Her father!_

"I need a phone." Annie demanded and instantly Eric was by her side, handing her his cell phone. She flipped it open and dialled the number she knew so well. As it rang, she wondered whether her father would answer as it was a number he wouldn't recognise.

"Yes?" A voice so familiar to her answered. The sound of her father's voice almost brought her to tears, but Eric took her hand in his as a symbol of solidarity and she found the strength to go on.

"Dad, it's me, Annie."

"Annabelle! It's been so long! Are you okay? Have you found any news of your sister?" The questions came quickly and she had no idea how to answer them.

"Dad, listen. Yes physically I'm okay, I've made some friends and they're gonna help me find Izzy, but I'm in trouble. Do you know who the Vampire Authority are?"

The other end of the phone had fallen into a deathly silence and Annie stubbornly waited for her dad's reply. Part of her didn't want to know what he did, didn't want to finish off this conversation but instead she jutted out her chin, took a steadying breath and clung to Eric's hand like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

"I know of them, and if you're on their list then there's very little you can do. They will find you." Her dad finally replied. The disappointment in her dad's voice made Annie's heart break. He thought she had failed.

"I'm on their list, but not for reasons you might think. They seem to be under the impression that I'm an Angel…." She told him, the words feeling strange and foreign on her tongue.

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. Annie waited for him to respond, for him to dispel all this as nonsense. When her father finally spoke, it was with a sad defeated tone. "My little Annabelle, there is something that your mother and I never got round to telling you. But if you're on the VA's hit list, you're going to need all the information you can get. The truth is… You are adopted. We found you on our doorstep twenty-two years ago, and there was no question that you were meant for us. We raised you as our daughter and on the eve of your third birthday, your mother and I were visited by a strange woman who told us of your past. At first we couldn't believe it. But gradually, we started to see signs, when you slept, there was a beautiful light that encompassed you. Your mother fell down when you were young and she cut herself pretty badly. You came up to her, as calm as could be and simply placed a kiss on her forehead, and miraculously, the wound healed. We had never seen anything like it."

Annie thought she was going to faint again. She called on all her inner strength and held on to consciousness. "Why… why don't I remember any of this?"

"I don't know sweetheart, all I do know is your mother and I never wanted any harm to come to you. We never intended for any of this to happen and one day when we felt you were ready we were going to tell you everything."

"You didn't think me travelling across the country, facing untold dangers in the search of my sister warranted me being ready?" Annie asked indignantly.

"Your powers hadn't manifested in such a long time that we thought maybe they had somehow died down or were locked away…"

"Well, they're sure as hell manifesting now!" Annie yelled down the phone to him, fighting the urge to slam the phone shut. She felt the tears of anger and hurt pricking at her eyes and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. As if on cue, Eric whisked the phone out of her hand and was talking very quickly to her father, Annie was grateful that someone else was taking charge. It was a lot of information to take in.

"Wait…Izzy…" Annie said simply, "Is she..?"

Eric understood her at once and began asking her father a series of questions. After a couple of minutes, he growled a goodbye then abruptly hung up the phone. He turned to face her and smiled, it wasn't a smile of joy, nor of anger but more of sympathy.

"Izzy was born naturally to your parents, she is not an Angel." Eric left it at that, waiting for Annie to respond.

"She's still my sister." She replied briefly, to which he agreed.

"Come, we would be safer at Fangtasia while we think of what we are going to do. Sookie, I can't thank you enough for letting Annie into your home, but I don't want to risk your life too. I'll have contractors and builders out at first light to fix your house, they'll have it done within the week."

Annie had enough time to say a quick goodbye to Sookie, whom she thought she might never see again, before she was pulled up into Eric's arms and flown to the relatively safety of Fangtasia.


	10. Chapter 10

Three weeks had passed since Annie had been flown to Fangtasia, and not a moment went by when she wasn't completely on edge. She worked behind the bar every night and slept during the day on a bed that Eric had installed next to his coffin. At first she felt uneasy sleeping so close to a technically dead man and she longed for the comfort and privacy of her own room, but she knew it was a necessary precaution.

The Vampire Authority hadn't shown its face yet but everyone knew they were just biding their time to strike. Annie wasn't just on the alert for vampires; she was also wary of any Supes and suspicious looking humans. The first couple of hours after Eric woke up, he trained with Annie to help unlock her powers and slowly but surely she was getting stronger. Whenever Eric couldn't train with her, or she had to work, he hired someone else or got Pam to do it.

Annie had adjusted to life at Fangtasia very quickly, she even got on with Tara who upon first meeting her, tried to tear her throat out. One quick command from Pam and Tara was sworn into protecting Annie's life.

Annie lay in the bed, deep underground. She was surprised to find that she felt relaxed when she was concealed in Eric's room. She took strength and comfort from the Earth and every so often she caught herself staring at Eric's coffin and willing him to wake up.

As much as Annie hated to admit it, she was struggling to resist Eric's ever-present and easy-going charm. Her mind quickly began to imagine all the things that Eric would do to her if her will power crumbled and nervous tingles ran up her spine. It took her all of three seconds to realise the tingles weren't from the idea of lots of sex. They were a warning.

Annie shot out of bed and instinctively went to Eric's coffin. She checked her watch and saw it was just after midday, there would be no vampire assistance at this time of day. On the bright side, it also meant that it wasn't a vampire that she was feeling.

It was Sookie that had suggested maybe Annie could develop an extra 'sense' to see if she could detect Supes. Her figuring was that if Fae and Angels were closely related, then their powers must have some similarities.

Annie heard the footsteps above her head, it definitely sounded like they were searching for something. Annie bet that they were looking for the entrance to Eric's room. Taking several deep breaths she tried to steady herself and began calling her powers to her like she had been taught. It took a while to feel anything because she was tired; it was like trying to coax a nervous animal out of the nest.

Annie knew she had to go up and see what was happening, it was partly her job to ensure Fangtasia's daylight protection, though Eric had hired more muscle since learning the Authority was gunning for Annie. She took the secret exit which was a tunnel leading out on to the street. There was a thick steel door that required a retina scan and a fingerprint scan to open, just to prevent outsiders from strolling in.

She quickly left the building and rounded towards the front moving silently, something that many years of being raised in an old hunter family had taught her. She could see that someone or something had forced their entry into the club and she slunk into a fighting crouch.

She entered the club unnoticed and slunk from table to table, trying to get closer to the assailants. All around her, the dead bodies of the people Eric had hired lay discarded. Annie gulped. She quickly scanned for Ginger and prayed that she was on her lunch break. The group were now dangerously close to Eric's secret hideout so she knew she would have to engage them soon.

Just as she was about to stand up and confront them, Annie felt this agonising pain. It was unlike anything she had felt before. All her muscles had contracted so tightly that she couldn't breathe. She couldn't move, could barely make any sound. The two people that were rummaging around the bar stopped to look at the commotion that was being made. Annie's eyes were wide and terror-stricken as she was lifted a few inches off of the ground. She made several short noises but that's all she could do.

"Looky, what I found!" A voice from behind Annie said. The deep Southern accent giving away nothing except for the fact that it was a man. "This what we lookin' for?"

Annie knew that the man was the cause for her inability to move. She tried desperately to wiggle her fingers or toes, to do something to regain control. The invisible grip on her tightened and she almost passed out. She tried to pull herself together and not show any weakness but she meekly vomited through the stress on her body. She would've choked had her jaw not been loosened enough to spit it out.

"Nothing much, is she?" He said and chuckled. The man stepped forwards and Annie saw that his arms were raised and tense. "I'm controlling everything about you, except your thoughts. If I apply a little bit more pressure, you'll die. I could snap your neck in a second. " The man who Annie now saw had a thick beard and long unkempt hair, his eyes although slit with concentration were a shocking colour of blue and he wore a plaid shirt with dirt stains all over it and biker boots.

"Go…to…hell…" Annie spat through her teeth. She focused her energy on her thoughts and sent panicked S.O.S. messages to Sookie, Eric, Pam and anyone she thought might help. She knew it was a ridiculously long shot, but she was sure Eric had heard her before when he came to rescue her from the car crash she'd been in.

The man strutted closer to Annie then brought her forward and to his level. He gently moved some hair off her face with his free hand and then planted a wet, bearded kiss on Annie's lips. She thought she was going to be sick again. Annie gathered her strength and spat in his face. She was now furious whereas the other two men who Annie had almost forgotten about sniggered in the background.

The man looked enraged and made a swift movement with his arms and Annie's right arm swung back and snapped in three places. The pain was blinding.

"You bitch! You'd be dead by now if I didn't have to hand you over to Russell!" He screamed at her. Annie felt like she was radiating pain. Tears pricked her eyes but she defiantly held them back. A loud bang caused Annie to snap out of her almost unconscious state and focus. The two men in the background flew past her and hit the wall with such force that their heads caved in. They were lifeless instantly.

Out of nowhere, Eric raced past her in a blur and launched the bearded man across the room too. Annie fell out of his control and collapsed on the ground. She didn't have much time to think about her arm or what pain she was in as Eric had torn the bearded man open. He smiled briefly at her, but it was marred with a grimace.

It took Annie almost a second to realise what was wrong with that image before Eric burst into spectacular blue flames right in front of her eyes.

Annie screamed.


	11. Chapter 11

_The older you are, the quicker you burn._

That was what Eric told Annie when she asked about his past. His eyes shone with pain renewed as he talked about his Maker, Godric. That was all Annie could think about when she saw Eric burst into flames as the sun coming in from the open door and smashed windows hit his skin.

It was the most horrific yet devastatingly beautiful thing Annie had ever witnessed.

Eric looked on in pain but made no sound; he was determined to die with dignity. Annie couldn't bear to look at him as his clothes burnt away, leaving him naked and melting, right in front of her eyes. Annie thought her heart was going to shatter. He was dying because he saved her. _Again._

Annie had to save him.

Without hesitating, she threw herself into a run over to his smouldering figure and straight into the path of flames. She felt no pain as they licked at her skin. Annie grabbed the sides of Eric's face and brought them closer to hers and finally she touched her lips to his.

It was gentle and tender. Annie felt the power that had been pooling around her slowly ebb into Eric as their kiss deepened. He stopped burning. The rancid smell of death cleared from the air and Annie felt Eric's arms wrap around her. This was the only thing she could thing of that might work because of what her dad had told her about her childhood. They had already tested whether or not her blood would protect Vampires from the sun like Fairy blood did and it had failed.

As the kiss continued and Annie realised Eric was not going to combust immediately she began to let herself feel again. She felt _exhausted. _Somehow in the 10 seconds that had passed since Eric had saved her, Annie's entire energy source had been drained. She then realised that it was Eric, draining her energy. She pulled away nervously and took a step back. What she saw astounded her.

Eric looked completely the same yet so _different. _It was as if someone had turned a light on within him. He literally glowed. His eyes sparkled and his hair was the most stunning shade of blonde she'd ever seen, as if the sun crowned his head.

"How..?" Annie asked dumbly. Eric wasn't burning anymore. Eric was okay. Eric was going to live.

"I assumed you were going to save me." He replied with a devilishly handsome grin. Annie trembled a little.

"But…how?" She repeated, her brain not functioning properly. The closer Annie looked at him the more she saw. Eric had a very faint golden aura surrounding him.

"You feel weak, don't you Annie?" He asked her and she nodded.

"What you can see is your energy and desire to protect me from harm. Your energy has encased my body and is shielding me from the sun. I had hoped something like this was going to happen… the kiss…"

Annie blushed scarlet then felt herself waver slightly. She sat down and took deep breaths. "So…the minute I stop wanting to protect you, you burn?" She asked and this time it was Eric who nodded.  
"We'd better get back underground then… I don't know how long I can hold on for."

"You're stronger than you think you are. Have you even noticed that your arm has healed?" Eric questioned with a playful tone to his voice.

"Huh…" Annie replied, swinging her arm around to check. Utter delight lit up her face and the golden aura around Eric strengthened.

"Eric…" Annie began but then stopped. She paused for a few seconds and gathered herself, ensuring she could deliver what she was about to suggest. "Would you…like to go outside?"

Eric's face was stoic and unmoving. He said nothing for several minutes and Annie got used to the feeling of magnetism that was connecting her to Eric. As long as she focused on that, she knew she could keep him safe.

She held out her hand. He looked at her slowly, his thoughts a thousand miles away. She approached Eric slowly and took his hand in hers. "It's okay." She coaxed. "It's okay."

She led him slowly to the door and out into the sun. At first Eric didn't know what to do; he stood there numbly, as if waiting to burn. "It's okay" Annie repeated as a mantra and slowly, slowly Eric's eyes began to take in his surroundings. He walked hand in hand with Annie across the parking lot of Fangtasia and down the road. Annie didn't know where he was going, but Eric was moving more surely now, no longer the timid, scared person he'd been a few minutes ago.

Annie followed Eric and he stopped suddenly and turned to face her. He flashed a smile at her that made her catch her breath. It wasn't any smile that she'd seen before. Annie had seen Eric's angry smile, his taunting smile, his fake smile, his business smile, his murderous smile, his flirty smile and even a sad smile. But _this _smile…

It was pure happiness. Eric was _happy. _And Annie had created that.

Annie's heart skipped a beat as Eric scooped her up in his arms and took off at vampire speed through the nearby thicket. They climbed higher and higher until finally they came to a clearing at the peak of the hill.

The view was stunning. They could see for miles from this one point and Annie knew why they'd come here. She stole a glance at Eric who had placed her on the ground but kept a hold of her hand. His face made Annie's heart break. He was so happy.

"I've lived in shadows for a thousand years…" Eric said, his voice breaking. He looked at Annie and stared into her eyes. She felt lost, cast adrift at sea. "Annie…" he said before taking a step towards her. "Thank you."

He tilted her head up to meet his and Annie didn't resist. Their lips met once more, though this time there was no fear of imminent death, no smell of charred hair and flesh, just the fresh air and sun on their skins. The kiss was gentle at first but slowly developed more passion. Very soon Annie was completely lost in Eric, she felt herself melting into him and she felt the spark of desire ignite within her. She _wanted _Eric. Now.

Eric pulled away quickly and Annie heard herself make a little disappointed noise. She looked at him quizzically. It had been almost a month since they met and not a day went by when Eric didn't let her know he wanted her.

Eric touched Annie's face gently but instead of a caress which she was expecting, he wiped under her nose, then lifted it to show her. _Blood. _

Eric licked his finger clean which made Annie grimace and then smiled at her again. Annie felt that this new smile was for her alone and she half-smiled back.

"It seems like we've pushed you too far today. Come, let's return." With that, Eric picked up Annie in his arms once more and ran back to Fangtasia, they had barely made it through the front door when Annie fell into unconsciousness. Eric swiftly entered his bedroom underground and placed Annie softly on the bed.

He brushed back the hair from her face and smiled at her once more. "Thank you…" he whispered as he placed a kiss on her forehead and climbed back into his coffin.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Annie woke slowly, her eyes flitting open and struggling to adjust to the lighting. She stretched in her bed and let out a long yawn, releasing any last remnants of sleep. She felt like she had slept for an age, and when she sat up she was surprised to see Eric watching her from a plush love seat that wasn't in the room when she had fallen asleep.

"Hey" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Her head throbbed slightly as her mind began to process the events that had led to her being in bed. "What time is it?"

Eric smiled and moved to perch on the bed next to her. "It's almost sunset, you've been unconscious for two days. I guess you were really exhausted, being captured and then saving my life and then walking into the light with me". Eric gently took Annie's hand and raised it to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on her palm.

Annie let her eyes drift shut as she felt the sparks of passion rush up through her veins. She distinctly remembered kissing Eric. _A lot. _She was surprised how the memory stirred up such strong feelings within her. She wanted to take him in her arms and have her way with him until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

Eric's eyes flicked up and met hers, where they held her there for a few moments, it was clear on his face that he had felt Annie's strong desire for him and he was slowly succumbing to his lust. Annie blinked a few times, trying to clear her head but before she could vocalise anything, Eric's mouth was on hers, kissing her so instantly deeply that it seemed like he was searching for absolution within her.

She crumbled under his touch and sunk back into the bed, one hand wrapped so tightly in Eric's hair that if he were human, it would be painful, and the other hand secure around his neck, pulling him down with her as she hit the pillows. Eric pulled away and hovered for a moment, uncertain about proceeding. Annie pouted and stroked his face before pulling him down once more. She wanted him. She couldn't deny it any longer. She needed him on the most primal level.

"Annie" Eric growled her name and it only served to turn her on more. He tore himself away from her mouth and slowly kissed along her jawline before peppering her neck with feather-soft kisses and then making his way down to the nape of her neck. Annie's heart was hammering and she knew it must be tempting for Eric to taste her. She was aware that it was a part of vampire love-making that normally occurred during the climax. Annie swallowed and tried to steady her breathing as she thought of what was to come.

Before she could commit to the moment, the full memories of the previous couple of days resurfaced and before she could stop herself she uttered the name "Russell". Eric stopped in his tracks and he sat up straight.  
"My name is Eric Northman." He told her, the faintest trace of humour in his voice but his eyes were piercing.

Annie sat up too and shimmied out from under his legs. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, the moment officially killed. "No, that's not what I meant", Annie explained, stroking Eric's arms apologetically. "That man who you killed, the bearded one who had me in that weird body lock… he said that he was there to take me to someone called Russell. Do you know who that is?"

Eric let loose a furious growl that made Annie shudder and shrink back. She pulled the covers up around her putting a physical barrier between her and Eric. He noticed and released a long deep breath before slowly retracting his fangs that had sprung out in his anger.

"I'm sorry." He said curtly, "I believe he was talking about Russell Edgington, an Ancient vampire, older than me, who is known for his hatred of humans and his penchant for collecting rare objects."

"So I'm a rare object now?" Annie asked, trying to lighten the mood. Eric didn't acknowledge what she had said, he was lost in a memory that Annie had no connection to. She could see that he was struggling to contain and control his emotions in front of her so she sat still and waited for Eric to talk again.

"Annie… if Russell knows about you and has sent someone after you already, you're in even more danger than we first thought. Russell doesn't acknowledge the Vampire Authority which means that we're fighting against another enemy." Eric sighed and rubbed his temples. "I killed his mate…" Eric confessed in a whisper, his eyes shut as if he could block out reality.

"Eric… this isn't your fault. It's mine" Annie said, hating that Eric was struggling with this. "I'd say that I would leave town but frankly I don't know how far I would get before they caught me, and I don't know how long I could stay away from you…"

Eric smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "I told you that you would want to be with me soon enough."

"Actually, you told me that I would want to sleep with you", Annie countered before letting out a short laugh because he'd been so right. "Besides, you're Eric Northman, you never let anything get in the way of what you want and you're smart and patient too. There's nothing you can't do. Plus, I'm getting stronger every day, we have no idea what the limits of my powers are and unlike Sookie, I'm full-blooded, my Light won't expire or get all used up. Hell, given enough time, I could probably vaporise this Russell guy with a click of my fingers!" Annie was smiling by the end of her little speech as she pictured zapping all of her enemies into dust before rescuing her sister and then flying off into the sunset with Eric.

"No, Russell's death will be by my hands", Eric stated it so matter-of-fact that it was clear this was a non-negotiable topic. "He… murdered my family. Over 1000 years ago he slaughtered every member of my household. I survived. Since that day I've been waiting for the right moment to strike. I thought that killing his mate would provide some relief from the burning inside but all it did was piss Russell off and ruin a perfectly nice rug. I thought that by taking something that was dear to him away, he would understand the pain I felt seeing my kin lifeless. It was a hollow victory, and one of the very many lessons I learned from Sookie about letting go of the past and the emptiness of revenge. But still, Russell must die. Now more than ever."

Annie dropped the cover she was holding and peeled back the sheets before patting the mattress inviting Eric inside to sit next to her. He moved swiftly but was careful to keep his speed within the human limits of sight so as not to confuse Annie, something he was constantly getting better at.

Annie wasted no time in snuggling up against his chest, listening to the silence of his still heart as she tried to calm her thoughts.

"So let me just get all this straight," she started before sighing. "I'm an Angel, with Angel parents who are God only knows where. The Vampire Authority know this and they obviously have some sort of need or desire to use me because they're on their way here to claim me as we speak. Then we have Russell Edgington, a psychotic Ancient vampire with a love for collecting rare items which apparently include living models such as guys that can control your every muscle, who has also somehow found out what I am and is interested in acquiring me. Did I miss anything out?"

"No, that about covers it. The sooner we unlock your full potential, the better. If you really can't be killed then that makes you a True Immortal, which is priceless no matter who you're talking to. I think you're right on the Authority needing you for something, if only we knew what. We need more information on Angels and their capabilities, their strengths and weaknesses. We need to know why you were left on this plane and not kept in the Heavenly Plane where the rest of the Light bearing creatures reside. Unfortunately, Sookie is a bit lacking in information regarding her Fae history, but she might know another Fairy that could help give us some answers. The Fae don't take kindly to my kind though. Their scent is like a drug to us, it can send us into a frenzy." Eric's voice dimmed as he mulled over the various possibilities he could act upon.

"Well, we could just stay locked down here forever and ignore everything else that's happening?" Annie suggested, only half-joking.

"Now that," Eric said kissing Annie's hair, "is a perfect idea".


	13. Chapter 13

"Okay, that's good Annie! Keep your focus, you don't know when they'll strike!" Sookie called out from across the room. For the past two weeks they had been relentlessly training Annie to be prepared for any kind of attack. Eric had recruited Sookie, Bill, Pam, and Tara to help train Annie, though it mostly entailed them flinging her across the room onto padded surfaces and Annie firing off a photokinetic blast just a moment too late.

In a blur Annie was rushed, but she had been practicing her forewarning abilities so she managed to leap to the side into a roll and spring back on her feet. She let out a huff of satisfaction that she had actually been able to dodge an oncoming attack, she was definitely improving rapidly. Before she had long enough to process the happy thought, she was rushed again, this time she was a fraction too slow and Pam had managed to wrap her hand around Annie's neck and send her hurtling into the stock of weapons they had been training with.

Annie felt the polearm pierce her heart seconds before the lights dimmed and she succumbed to death.

'_Anahel…come to us my Dear one. Anahel…'_

"Annabelle!" Eric's voice came to her like a lightning strike, filling her body with adrenaline and life. Annie's eyes flew open as she took a second to gather her bearings once more. She noted that she was now just in her bra and that there were a lot of blood soaked cloths around her. Sookie was standing with her back to Annie with her arm outstretched and her palm facing Tara, who looked a mix between ravenous and sick.

Eric turned quickly and barked an order to Pam in what Annie assumed was Swedish, and Pam left the room dragging Tara along with her. "Tara is still new. Even if you don't smell that good to vampires, blood is still blood. And the amount of blood that erupted from you would be enough to challenge even the most restrained vampires will. Pam did apologise when you were dead. She said she got carried away. She is not a good liar. Her pride was wounded when you blocked her last time."

Sitting up Annie touched the spot where she had been impaled and marvelled at how soft the new skin was. "My name is Annabelle" she told Eric firmly. He looked at her bemused.

"Well, I'm glad your memory wasn't affected by your unsuccessful demise" he joked, pulling her to her feet.

"You called me Ana_hel" _Annie interjected, shaking off the post-death tension she felt in her muscles.

Eric shook his head, denying Annie's statement, but it was Sookie this time who spoke up. "Anahel? That sounds familiar. Hey, maybe it was someone from the Heavenly Plane trying to make contact?" She suggested but Annie scoffed.

"You can't be serious? I must have just misheard Eric, that's all." Annie finished stretching and looked at Sookie whose face looked like she'd just discovered the answer to the Da Vinci Code. "Oh God, you are serious!"

"Sure I am! When I was getting used to my Fae powers, the Fairies would try and contact me all the time, either on this realm, or when I was asleep or unconscious. This one time, I was in a coma and they summoned me to their plane. It was neat, but kind of freaky too. Wouldn't it make sense that because you've awakened to your powers now, the Angels are aware of this and want to contact you?"

"I guess it's possible… but if they want to talk then they can come down here and talk to me in person, because you can forget me dying every time they want to have a chat!" She pointed her finger at Eric as a warning, because she knew he was burning with curiosity about her heritage and she thought that he wouldn't mind repeatedly killing her if that meant answers. "Besides, can we refrain from me dying again please? We don't actually know for sure that I'm a 'True Immortal'. It could be a temporary thing, and I cannot die before I find Izzy."

Eric made a comical motion of crossing his heart and then changing to the 'Scouts Honor' symbol. She took that as a promise and relaxed a little.

"I wouldn't worry too much _Käresta" _Eric said soothingly, using the nickname he'd given her, a Swedish word for 'sweetheart'. "Bill has very thorough methods, and very reliable sources. I don't recall him ever being wrong about something like this."

Sookie scoffed and crossed her arms in defiance, "The fact that Bill does things like that _is _wrong. It's a total invasion of privacy and a betrayal of trust!" She hissed.

Annie blinked at Sookie's malice. She had known the woman for a while now and she had always seemed so cheerful and upbeat. It was clear that whatever had happened between Sookie and Bill, Sookie had not quite dealt with those issues. Annie assumed that it was Bill who had discovered Sookie's true heritage, and that was how he had the connections to uncover Annie's past so quickly. A thought occurred to Annie that she hadn't given much time to before and a wave of dread washed over her.

Eric's connection to Annie's emotional state was as strong as the day that they had first shared blood and he picked up on her unease immediately.

"Any evidence that Bill and that other vampire found relating to you was destroyed. I saw to it myself. The only people that know the truth now are your parents and us."

"And the Vampire Authority, and Russell Edgington…" Sookie added.

Annie blanched again and she fought the urge to pass out.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Eric said, hating that because Annie was panicked, it made him feel panicked too. The blood-bond should have weakened enough by now that it should be subtle feelings, not overwhelming like it was now. Eric hadn't had the time to question it properly, he just chalked it up to Annie's status as a Higher Light Bearer. He knew from his experiences with Sookie how different it was to anything he had been a part of before, and Sookie's Fae part was diluted with humanity. Annie must be on another level entirely.

"I need your phone" Annie asked, interrupting Eric's train of thought. Absently he handed her the phone, trying to connect the dots and arrive at the same conclusion she had clearly landed at. Moving her fingers as fast as she could she dialled the number that she hadn't really ever wanted to dial again. The last time her dad picked up the phone, her world had shifted so incredibly, she still suffered from vertigo when she thought of it. As the stone of dread in her stomach and the cold sweat trickling down her back warned her, she knew this time would be the same.

After several rings it finally clicked, before her dad could say hello, Annie launched into the speech she had been rehearsing since she had made this connection. "Dad, it's me Annie. Listen, you and mom need to pack your emergency bags and leave the house right now. It can't wait until sunrise, you're in a lot of danger!"

Eric and Sookie exchanged looks as they still struggled to figure out what was wrong. Finally, Eric understood. He blurred out of the room so quickly it made Sookie yelp in surprise, he returned less than a fraction of a moment later with a fully-packed bag.

This all occurred before Annie had managed to take a breath to let her dad reply. When he did, Annie's eyes widened in horror and Eric snatched the phone from her.

"_You're too late, Annabelle. Your Mommy and Daddy weren't co-operating so we had to punish them. Of course, you could probably still save them if you hurry." _

The phone line went dead and Annie swallowed back her bile.

"That was them wasn't it? The Authority? Or Russell?" She asked, but didn't want to know the answer. Eric nodded once then threw her the bag. She attached it safely to her and without hesitation, climbed on to Eric's back. Flying would be much quicker than driving, and there were still plenty of hours before sunrise.

Sookie grasped the situation at last –Annie's family were the only ones outside of Eric and Bill's protection that knew the truth about Annie. Sookie put her hands out to stop Eric. "It's a trap! You'll die Eric, and they'll take her!" She tried to reason with them but both were so lost in their emotions that her words were barely heard.

"They're her family." Eric said, his words as piercing as ice. He wasted no more time and set off faster than Annie had ever experienced. She knew he was being driven on by her feelings of fear and rage that he was experiencing as his own, as well as the memory that Russell had killed his family.

He wouldn't fail Annie like he had failed them.


	14. Chapter 14

The journey felt like it took an eternity, each second that passed agonisingly slow meant another second that Annie's parents' lives might have ended. She steeled herself against the despair that threatened to drown her and tried to calm down. She was aware of how much Eric was affected by what she was feeling and she needed them both to have utter focus if they were going to save her family.

She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and for the briefest of moments, cursed her existence. Everything that was happening now was directly her fault for existing. As Eric blurred through the clouds, Annie closed her eyes and rested her head against him, taking strength from his unmoveable, unshakeable presence. _I can do this, _Annie thought to herself over and over again. She focused on the good that had happened over the past few months, smiling a little when she realised all her good memories featured Eric. Annie took a deep breath, memorising Eric's scent, and drawing comfort from the familiarity.

After a little while, Eric's feet touched solid ground and Annie hopped down from his back lithely. She proactively stretched her muscles preparing for whatever they might encounter inside the house and looked around slowly, analysing their location. Eric closed his eyes and his brow furrowed as he strained to tune into the events happening in the house after Annie had pointed out which one it was. They had landed on a grassy rise behind a row of houses to stay out of view until they had come up with a plan. It would be extremely unlikely that whatever or whoever was in the house would be older than Eric so he was operating on a premise that if he could barely sense the people in the house, the intruder would absolutely be unable to sense Annie and Eric's arrival.

Annie felt a little shell-shocked being back in the neighbourhood where she had grown up. Even through the darkness she could see the park where her and Izzy had learned to ride their bikes, and her old school far away in the distance. Everything seemed so normal that it made Annie feel like a reverse Alice in Wonderland. _She _was the one who was weird and out of place. She was lost in her thoughts until she heard Eric speak.

"Annie, can you sense who is in your house?" Eric asked, not taking his eyes off of the target. He would not miss one dust particle leaving the area.

Annie stepped forwards and shook off her tension, all thoughts about what was happening and how she was feeling slowly began to fade. Closing her eyes, she felt her power flutter in response, and she delicately extended her senses, casting them out like a net, picking up anything in the area. At first, all she felt was Eric, his negative pale blue essence dominated Annie's senses and she took a moment to adjust before casting her net further afield. It took Annie longer than she would've liked to reach her house, but this was a relatively new power to her and she still hadn't perfected it.

Once she reached her house she could instantly feel two blazing red energies that meant two humans were in the house. She analysed them in her mind, they were familiar energy patterns, patterns that she'd subconsciously picked up on all of her life but had never realised what she was doing. "My mom and dad are in there, still alive." She reported, speaking through gritted teeth as she worked to control her power and fight the rising hope in her chest. Though… I think they're under duress. Their energy is on a higher frequency and that feels like panic…or pain…" Annie's voice cracked on the last word and the loss of focus sent her net snapping back to her. She stumbled backwards from the shock but Eric caught her elbow and steadied her.

"That's enough, we're going in." Eric stated and Annie nodded. Eric did not like to be subtle or coy about things. He wanted to blur in there, guns blazing and eradicate the threat. Annie had barely managed to convince him that if someone had gone through all that trouble of getting Annie to the house, it wasn't going to be a simple recovery mission, they both had to be smart about it and be ready for anything.

As they approached the back entrance of the house, Eric stopped Annie just before she entered. She looked up at him in alarm and tapped her finger to her watch, telling him that they were running out of time. He smirked at her, before tilting her head up and placing a light kiss on her lips.

"_Just in case," _He whispered to her and she scowled at him, but squeezed his hand affectionately.

Taking a final calming breath, Annie gathered her power to her and made sure her senses were tuned to the most sensitive frequency she could manage so she could detect oncoming attacks. Annie stepped through the threshold and turned to Eric.

"_Please come in," _She breathed, giving Eric the vital invitation he needed to enter. Annie could feel no immediate danger so she picked up her pace, stalking through the kitchen and dining room until she reached the lounge. There, on two dining chairs were her parents, bound and gagged. They hadn't see Annie yet, as she had approached them from behind and she was filled with a desire to run to their rescue. She was preoccupied with this thought as she took a step forwards that she didn't hear the catch of a trigger being pulled. Before she'd had time to process what had just happened Eric had thrown himself in front of her and a spray of bullets assaulted him, bringing the Ancient vampire to the floor in pain. It took Annie no time at all to realise that they were silver bullets. Whoever had set these traps knew that Annie would be bringing a vampire with her.

Annie rushed to Eric's aid, bringing her into full view of her parents who made muffled cries of surprise. She looked at them briefly before pulling up her sleeves and lifting Eric's head. "Drink." She commanded him, knowing that he would heal much faster with her blood. A high-pitched giggle seemed to come from nowhere and made the hair on the back on Annie's neck stand up. She whirled round to confront whoever came through the door, bringing in her energy like a compressed spring, ready to be unleashed.

A figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Relief instantly washed over Annie, so strong that she thought that she would pass out. "Izzy!" She cried, preparing to launch herself at her sister and hug her, all traces of the situation her parents and Eric were in immediately forgotten, her coiled power centre totally evaporated. A shiver trickled down Annie's spine as a warning and she paused for a second, instinctively casting her senses out once more. She felt her parents, and Eric's energies and then felt Izzy's.

It was ice.

"Welcome home, Sis. I'm glad you made it to the party." Izzy hissed at Annie. Izzy jabbed a finger in Eric's direction who was still lying helpless, trying to pull the bullets out of his body. "I was warned you wouldn't come alone, how did you like my bullet trap?" Izzy laughed again and Annie's heart dropped.

"You're a vampire…" Annie said, already knowing that it was true. Her voice low.  
"And you're a fangbanger! Wouldn't Daddy be proud of his daughters?"

Annie grimaced, wanting to look at her parents but not wanting to give Izzy any advantage. Annie knew that vampires could be good people, or at the very least they could choose not to be evil, but she had no idea what kind of influence Izzy was under or how far she'd come unhinged. Annie had to believe that there was some semblance of the sister she loved still inside.

"Izzy… listen to me, I can help you. I know I failed you when they took you, but everything has changed so much. I can _help you._"

Izzy slowly unsheathed a weapon and Annie sucked in her breath when she saw that it was an elaborately designed stake. The situation was rapidly moving past the stage of talking. Annie slunk into a defensive crouch naturally and Izzy's fangs popped out in retaliation to the gesture. They stared at each other, neither breathing or making a sound. Annie could feel the need to defend and survive down in her very atoms, and she had to make a concerted effort not to succumb to her more primal instincts. _This can still work out _she told herself, trying to will it into reality.

The pressure that had been building and crackling between them finally erupted. Izzy blurred towards Eric, almost faster than Annie could see, but luckily Annie had already gathered her power to her. She balled it into her hands and flung it at Izzy. It struck her directly and sent her hurtling backwards through the wall to the kitchen. Izzy flipped off the ground and stood facing Annie once more, a smirk playing on her face as she licked the blood that fell from her nose.

"You are not touching him. He is _mine!_" Annie growled furiously through gritted teeth. She had never felt such a desire to protect something this strong before, it was an almost all-consuming need, and Annie slipped a little more into the darkness of her primordial urges.  
Izzy scoffed at Annie's warning and retorted, "You've always been a freak!" Izzy's hand flexed and then tightened around the stake tauntingly, and Annie gave her sister one more warning.

"You will never get close enough to Eric because I won't allow it." Annie said, no humour or lightness in her voice. She was barely containing her rage.

"Always so self-involved Annabelle," Izzy mockingly tutted. "Who said this is for him?" Izzy once more blurred forwards but instead of coming at Annie, like she had been anticipating, Izzy stopped and plunged the stake straight through the heart of her mother.

"NO!" Annie shrieked in horror. The father desperately tried to rip free of his bounds but couldn't. Annie watched as Izzy, crazy from the blood fountaining everywhere, began feeding on her mom. The light behind the eyes of her mom dimmed and then became extinguished.

All of the rage that Annie had been feeling inside, every negative emotion she had accrued over the past few weeks suddenly rushed to the surface. She felt the power surge up like a bottled tsunami and without thinking, sent it to Izzy with a furious scream. Annie knew that she was blazing white with fury and had no doubt that everyone could see this. As the energy left Annie and reached Izzy, she felt the immediate drain that meant she had sent an attack. She met Izzy's eyes just as the blast connected and Izzy's eyes scrunched up in pain. She didn't even have chance to scream before she exploded, becoming nothing but guts and entrails, splattering the living room, Annie included, with blood.

Silence descended upon the house and nobody moved. Annie stood stunned, just blinking, before slowly lifting her hands up in front of her to inspect them. She began shaking as the realisation of what she had done struck her.

"Izzy…"


	15. Chapter 15

"Oh God… I _killed_ her. I _killed my sister_!" Annie began to shriek as the tremors shook her body. Everything she had done over the past few months, everything that had happened to her, had been because she was trying to save her sister. And now Izzy was dead. Killed by the one who tried the hardest to rescue her.

At the edge of her consciousness Annie heard a grunting sound. She gave it no thought, she was barely keeping herself together as it was and giving any time or thought to anything other than not giving in to her hysterics was not an option. It wasn't until something blocked her view of the body of her mom and the remains of her sister, and she felt hands on her face that she remembered about Eric. The grunting must have been him healing the last of his wounds. Internally Annie cursed him. If he had let her get shot instead, then she'd be dead and Eric could have restrained Izzy and rescued her parents.

"I need you to function for 5 more minutes Annie." Eric said. It sounded like he was speaking underwater but she understood the meaning. They had to sort out the mess they were in. "You release your father and I'll start cleaning."

Eric began blurring around the room making Annie feel nauseous. She slowly turned to her dad, her eyes unfocused and looking everywhere except at him. How could she ever face him after she had failed so spectacularly? Moving like an automaton she reached her father who was still bound to his chair.

Click.

"DON'T MOVE!" Eric bellowed from across the room. Adrenaline once again flooded through Annie as everything came rushing back to her in better than HD focus. Nothing was subdued and muffled anymore. She could hear everything, including the faint hum of a current running under her foot.

Her eyes darted to her foot and she swallowed convulsively when she saw that she had stepped on another trigger. Seeing as this one hadn't released a slew of bullets it must have triggered something else. Annie's eyes closed once more, some part of her wished for death. She should be killed after what she had done to her sister, and what had happened to her mother. Eric came across the room in two strides and removed the cloth that was gagging Annie's father.

"It's a bomb" Annie's dad said with a raspy voice. He was clearly dehydrated and it was obvious that he was in pain. He took a deep breath calming himself before continuing, "You need to get out of here, but first you need to know that Izzy was made by someone in the Authority. There was another vampire here, who made Izzy do what she said. They thought that Izzy would be able to capture you, but they wouldn't stay in case you brought back up. Izzy was just cannon fodder. But…" His voice broke, the loss he felt was dripping through every syllable. He steeled himself and met Annie's eyes, "but she wasn't my little girl anymore. There was no trace of humanity in her. _Please_ don't blame yourself. Now, you need to leave. The bomb is attached to me. If I move, it will detonate."

"Daddy…no… we're not leaving without you." Annie said weakly, "I can't lose you too. It's too much!"

"You can handle this, sweetheart. All you need to do is be safe and happy."

"No." Annie said stubbornly. "I can save you. I can. I have powers. I can do… something!"

Eric came to her side and took her hand, "We have to leave. Your father is a very brave man, but none of us know how to deactivate this bomb without it detonating, and we'd all be dead anyway. I don't know how well you would heal being in pieces, and I'm not risking your life to find out. Let's go." Eric gently tugged to pull Annie out of the house but she yanked her hand out of her grip.

"If you want to leave then go! Fuck off!" She yelled at him, rage once again bubbling within her.

"Eric…" Annie's father began, he had never spent much time talking with vampires, only killing them to protect the innocent, but when Eric met his eyes he saw that they blazed with conviction. Eric automatically straightened his posture, ready to accept what the broken man was going to say. "You need to protect Annie. From everything, even herself sometimes. She will have no one in this world now. She's my angel." His eyes flicked to Annie's, who stood there with her arms crossed like she did when she was going to start an argument. He implored her, "Annie, your mother and I will always love you and we will always watch over you. Now, GO!"

Eric wasted no time in forcefully grabbing Annie by the waist and flying out of the house. In an instant they landed on the grassy hill where they'd stopped on their way over here and Annie wriggled out of his grip before pulling back her arm and punching him square in the face. She put her entire weight behind the blow and heard the crack of his jaw breaking. She wheeled around quickly and began to run down the hill back towards the house to save her dad. She managed four steps before the house she had lived in all her life, containing all of her pre-supernatural memories and the bodies of her entire family exploded, sending debris hurtling into the sky.

The blast knocked Annie to the floor but she pulled herself up and looked on in horror.  
That was it.  
She was now truly alone.

Great wracking sobs began to shake her body as she processed what had happened. She was responsible for every death that had occurred in that house. Eric came to her side once more, trying to shield her against his body. Annie resisted violently at first, pounded on his chest to be released and breaking a couple of his ribs, but he merely tightened his grip. Her objections and struggling became feebler as she broke down once more into loud crying, letting all of her emotions pour out of her. She had never felt so destroyed before. She couldn't breathe through her grief.

She cried and cried and cried, only stopping twice to throw up.

Eric didn't say a word, he just clung to her hoping that by holding her so tight he could keep her pieces together and not watch her shatter.

After an hour, Annie's tears had dried and she had no more energy to fight or cry. She started to become limp in Eric's arms.

"Come, I'll take us to a safe house nearby. We can rest there and gather our strength before returning to Shreveport." He said, soothing Annie's hair as he spoke.

He gathered her up in his arms once more and lifted her off the floor. She didn't protest at all as she was too far gone to thinking about what was happening. Carefully, so as not to jostle her, Eric took off into the sky and made his way to the nearest safe house.


End file.
